Rectal Cancer and Asbestos | What You Should Know
Gone are the days when asbestos could be dismissed as a safe mineral. We now know that asbestos is a cancer-causing substance, but what remains is the question of how asbestos exposure relates to certain types of cancer. Well-known connections include mesothelioma and lung cancer, but many more cancer types are still on the table of medical research and comparative analysis. One example of this is rectal cancer. Here’s what you should know about how this cancer may relate to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos and Rectal Cancer
In recent years, studies have shed light on a concerning correlation between asbestos exposure and the development of rectal cancer. Understanding this link is crucial for individuals who may have been exposed to asbestos in their lifetime. From occupational settings to environmental factors, the sources of asbestos exposure vary, prompting a closer examination of its implications. This article delves into the pertinent information surrounding rectal cancer and its potential association with asbestos exposure.
What We Know About Asbestos in General
Most people who receive a diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease spent years working around the asbestos mineral or asbestos-containing products like insulation and other building materials. This is because asbestos was once used heavily in hundreds of different materials and manufacturing processes for hundreds of years, seeing pervasive use between the 1920s and early 1980s. Some of the most common vocations include:
Construction– insulation, carpentry, masonry, electricians, HVAC, etc.
Shipbuilding– both trade workers and adjacent office personnel.
Boiler-making– machinery use for fireproofing purposes.
Automotive manufacturing and repair– brake pads and gasket materials
Military– especially the Navy, also barracks and on-base housing
These represent just a small fraction of asbestos usage throughout America, but asbestos was also used internationally, often in countries with far less restrictive regulations than we experience today in the aftermath of Federal bans and prohibitions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since asbestos was used in construction, the risk of exposure also extends to homeowners and those who live in any structure built before the 1980s.
Receiving an asbestos-related illness diagnosis may not always look the same, and that’s because these illnesses can come in both cancerous and non-cancerous forms in various parts of the body. Pleural plaques, asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer make up some of the more common examples, but there are still more links to study further. Due to the latency of asbestos- meaning that illnesses typically occur decades after exposure- it is often hard to identify the source of exposure without a robust tracking system such as W.A.R.D., linking industries to documented evidence of known asbestos usage.
However, what we do know is that asbestos makes its way into the body in two ways: inhalation and ingestion. Inhalation often leads to the development of lung-related illnesses while ingestion can involve the throat, stomach, and the entire digestive system. Ingestion is our primary concern here, since it has to do with the eventual development of rectal cancer.
What We Know about Asbestos and Stomach Cancer
According to research, stomach cancer is “one of the most common and deadly types of cancer…the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.“ The link between asbestos and stomach cancer has been investigated much more in recent years, suggesting that after asbestos fibers are swallowed, they can make their way into the stomach, causing chronic inflammation and the formation of cancerous cells. One of the risk factors for stomach cancer is asbestos exposure in a person’s environment, which includes both the industries mentioned earlier as well as the possibility of living in an environment that has been contaminated with asbestos fibers due to the use of asbestos in construction materials.
It is not always the case that asbestos fibers make their way into the stomach, because the microscopic needle-like shape of asbestos fibers can become lodged in the throat or esophagus and lie dormant for decades without moving into the stomach. With that said, it is also not the case that asbestos fibers will necessarily become lodged in the stomach. While it is less likely with each progression in the digestive process for asbestos fibers to make their way through before becoming lodged and embedded in organs or tissues, it is at least possible if not probable that asbestos fibers can pass all the way into the rectum before becoming lodged. This brings up the issue of relating asbestos exposure to rectal cancer.
Raising the Question of Asbestos and Rectal Cancer
One study suggest that conclusive evidence exists on this matter: “The evidence synthesis supports a causal link between occupational asbestos exposure and esophageal, stomach and colorectal cancer.” However, there are other medical opinions available as well. For example, a 2019 study entitled, “Colorectal Cancer and Asbestos Exposure: An Overview” claims that the available evidence on this matter has not been fully investigated yet. The study utilized various test cases and 13 different papers in order to come to its conclusion that there is a weak association between the two.
Another study, conducted in 2023 entitled, “Colorectal Cancer: 35 Cases in Asbestos-Exposed Workers” notes that after evaluating all 35 cases, there “is still no general agreement on the carcinogenic role of asbestos in CRC cases”. However, the study also acknowledges that due to the small number of test cases, there are limitations to the study and workers should be made aware that the risk of developing colorectal cancer exists, to the degree that they suggest medical screening for all asbestos workers for the potential of this type of cancer.
More Research Needed
As is the case with most contemporary studies of lesser-known links to asbestos exposure, no one is willing to assert a verifiable link, but neither is anyone willing to dismiss the connection altogether. The common denominator is the call for more research. While that point should be made clear, the trend of asbestos research continues to result in links to more types of cancer than we ever thought probable.